Bipartisan bill would update policies around mental health services

A specific credential is required of many who work with children and youth diagnosed with serious mental illness, leading to a lack of professionals.

“Finding a child and adolescent psychologist is like finding a tiny piece of gold in a mountain of sand,” Rep. Kim Hicks (DFL-Rochester) said at a Wednesday hearing for a bill that would update state statute to allow board-certified psychiatrists to also fill these positions.

Sponsored by Rep. Dawn Gillman (R-Dassel), HF3520, as amended, would update multiple policies and laws around intensive residential treatment services and intensive nonresidential rehabilitative mental health services.

Rep. Dawn Gillman

“To recruit and maintain mental health staff, we must address areas of statute where there are confusing or outdated policies,” Gillman told the House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee, which laid the bill over for future consideration.

Chris Westergaard, vice president of clinical services at Touchstone Mental Health, has firsthand experience contending with mental health staff workforce shortages and burnout.

“The bill contains changes to address some of the policies and requirements that cause confusion and frustration for our staff and for which we see alternative, modernized requirements that can be put in place instead,” Westergaard said.

In addition to adding staffing options, the bill would modify the timeline for standard diagnostic assessment completion or review. Right now, often limited staff must work weekends and holidays, leading to burnout, Westergaard said.

The bill also allows for payment from the behavioral health fund for room and board services for individuals receiving these services enrolled in medical assistance. 

Many years of conversation with mental health stakeholders led to this bill, said Rep. Peter Fischer (DFL-Maplewood), calling it “a small but meaningful step that our state can take to increase access to mental health services.”